System and method for virtual team assembly

ABSTRACT

A collection of data corresponding to a player is assembled at a server from a data provider. A base value of the player based on at least the primary data is added as an attribute to an internal object stored at the server. A modifier is mapped to a second attribute of the internal object. The modifier is based on at least a portion of the secondary data and the tertiary data. A projected value is generated from the base value by applying a modifier and a rule converting the modified second attribute to a projected value. Internal objects are generated according to constraints including having a sum of limiting factors of the internal objects that does not exceed a maximum factor and a sum of projected values a maximum, subject to the first constraint. The server transmits application data including a list representing the internal objects.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current patent application is a continuation of and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/275,125,entitled “System And Method For Virtual Team Assembly” and filed Sep.23, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/268,457, entitled “System And Method For Virtual Team Assembly” andfiled Sep. 16, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) toU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/220,665, entitled“System And Method For Virtual Team Assembly” and filed Sep. 18, 2015.The contents of each of the above-referred patent applications arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to data transfer andanalysis for display on operator interfaces for electronic gamingapplications.

BACKGROUND

Virtual sports teams, for example, those used in “fantasy football,”“fantasy baseball,” “daily” fantasy sports, or the like, are selected byusers based on their knowledge of individual players and how they expectthem to perform. Once a team is selected, the performance of the playersthat make up the virtual team is based on how they perform in actualgames. The results are combined for all players on the team, and thevirtual team that has the best performance is declared the winner.

SUMMARY

Implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are notlimited to, methods consistent with the descriptions provided herein aswell as articles that comprise a tangibly embodied machine-readablemedium operable to cause one or more machines (e.g., computers, etc.) toresult in operations implementing one or more of the described features.Similarly, computer systems are also described that may include one ormore processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or moreprocessors. A memory, which can include a computer-readable storagemedium, may include, encode, store, or the like one or more programsthat cause one or more processors to perform one or more of theoperations described herein. Computer implemented methods consistentwith one or more implementations of the current subject matter can beimplemented by one or more data processors residing in a singlecomputing system or multiple computing systems. Such multiple computingsystems can be connected and can exchange data and/or commands or otherinstructions or the like via one or more connections, including but notlimited to a connection over a network (e.g. the Internet, a wirelesswide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wirednetwork, or the like), via a direct connection between one or more ofthe multiple computing systems, etc.

A collection of data is assembled from a data provider over a networkconnection by a server. The assembling includes first querying, by theserver over the network connection through an application programminginterface, the data provider for primary data corresponding to a player.The primary data includes at least one of a set of statistics for theplayer, a limiting factor for the player, and a location of an upcomingevent that includes the player. Also, the assembling includes secondquerying, by the server over the network connection, the data providerfor secondary data corresponding to the player. The secondary dataincludes at least one of a prediction and the location. Also, theassembling includes third querying, by the server over the networkconnection through another application programming interface, the dataprovider for tertiary data. The tertiary data can include a weathercondition at the location.

A base value of the player based on at least the primary data is addedas an attribute to an internal object stored at the server. A modifieris mapped to a second attribute of the internal object. The modifier isbased on at least a portion of the secondary data and the tertiary data.

A projected value is generated from the base value by at least firstapplying the modifier to the second attribute according to the mappingand second applying a rule converting the modified second attribute to aprojected value.

The automated projection engine generates internal objects according toconstraints including a first constraint having a sum of the limitingfactors of the plurality of internal objects that does not exceed amaximum factor and a second constraint where a sum of the projectedvalues of the internal objects is a maximum, subject to the firstconstraint.

The server transmits, over the network connection to a mobileapplication running on a mobile device, application data including alist representing the internal objects.

In some variations one or more of the following features can optionallybe included in any feasible combination.

The server can receive, from a mobile application running on a mobiledevice, a request for the application data including a player lineupgenerated from the list of the plurality of internal objects. Also, theapplication data can be transmitted to the mobile device in response tothe request.

The modifying of the second attribute can also include calculating theprojected value further based on weather statistics corresponding to aweather performance of the player under prior weather conditions similarto the weather condition returned by the third querying.

The second querying can include retrieving an upcoming location for theupcoming event and retrieving location statistics corresponding to alocation performance of the player for prior events at the upcominglocation. The modifying can also include calculating the projected valuefurther based on the location statistics of the player at the upcominglocation returned by the second querying.

The second querying can include retrieving matchup statisticscorresponding to a matchup performance between the player and anopponent. The modifying can also include calculating the projected valuefurther based on the matchup performance of the player returned by thesecond querying.

The server can receive, from the at least one data provider, anelectronic indication that a change has been made to the primary data.The change can be representative of an instant event that occurred in agame in which the player is currently participating. The rule can beapplied to include the change in the primary data for calculating acurrent score for the player. The current score can be transmitted tothe mobile application for display at the mobile device.

The server can monitor at least one of the data providers for the changeand transmit, to the data provider, a request for the change. Anidentification of the player and the instant event can be transmitted tothe mobile application.

The secondary data and the tertiary data can correspond only to theupcoming event and not to additional events subsequent to the upcomingevent.

From the mobile application, a preference weight can be received thatrepresents the desire for the player to be represented in the pluralityof internal objects and the generated internal objects can be furtherbased on the preference weight.

A minimum preference weight can preclude the player from beingrepresented as part of the plurality of internal objects, and a maximumpreference weight can guarantee the player will be represented as partof the internal objects unless the sum of the limiting factors of theinternal objects exceeds the maximum factor.

The primary data, secondary data, and tertiary data can be accessedthrough relational database queries from a database server.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matterdisclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain someof the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In thedrawings,

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an automated projection enginegenerating a collection of internal objects representing a player lineupto a mobile application in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary process flow diagram illustrating the calculationof a projected value in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of the automatedprojection engine in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method ofgenerating an optimal lineup in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating matchups between competingplayers in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a screen capture illustrating providing the recent history ofplayer information to a graphical user interface on a mobile device inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 a screen capture illustrating providing the athlete's history vsa team playing on the current day to a graphical user interface on amobile device in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating providing live scoring to a graphicaluser interface on a mobile device in accordance with certain aspects ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating an automated projectionengine generating a collection of internal objects representing a playerlineup to a mobile application in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

When practical, similar reference numbers denote similar structures,features, or elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The current subject matter provides a system and/or method forgenerating a statistically improved lineup of players, typically used bypersons playing fantasy sports games. Generation of the lineup caninclude the determination and application of modifiers to predeterminedplayer statistics in order to more accurately predict their performancein an upcoming competition.

Virtual team competitions, for example, fantasy football, fantasybaseball, fantasy basketball, fantasy soccer, fantasy hockey, fantasygolf, car racing, fantasy fishing, fantasy boxing, fantasy bowling,fantasy tennis, or the like, as well as all of the above as “daily”fantasy sports, typically involve the selection of real competitors anddetermining virtual teams as if they were comprised of these realcompetitors. The performance of the real competitors can be tabulatedover some period of time and a cumulative score is calculated for eachof the virtual teams. Whatever virtual team has the highest score atsome predetermined period of time is declared the winner. While somevirtual competitions provide little to no restrictions on who can beselected for the virtual teams, others limit the selection according toone or more rules. For example, a provider of a virtual competition canassign a point value, salary value, or the like to the players accordingto historical performance or any other measure. The limits are typicallychosen such that all of the best players cannot be selected and a usermust rely on their own skill in choosing an optimal lineup.

Rather than relying solely on the skill of the user in determining andoptimal lineup, the present subject matter describes implementing dataaggregation from multiple sources to provide an intelligent, near-termoptimization of lineup selection. By particular emphasis being given tocompetitions in the near future, additional data can be acquired andutilized in order to make a more accurate prediction than wouldotherwise be possible by just a human user. The subject matter describedherein thus provides an improvement to the technical field of electronicgaming by, among other things, enhancing the ability of players andvirtual competition providers to have more accurate gaming experiences.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an automated projection engine 140generating a collection of internal objects 142 representing a playerlineup to a mobile application 160 in accordance with certain aspects ofthe present disclosure. The automated projection engine 140 canautomatically assemble, over a network connection by a server 130 and ata pre-defined time interval, a collection of data from at least one dataprovider. Data providers can include, for example, a fantasy sportsoperator or computer server 130, websites, server 130 s with sportsdata, web logs, databases, or the like. The collection of data caninclude, for example, player statistics, live scores, Vegas odds,schedules, player salaries, weather data, or the like. The collection ofdata can be stored and further processed to generate the lineup asdescribed in further detail below. The collection of data can be in anumber of different formats, for example, HTML, XML, JSON, or the like.

As input, the automated projection engine 140 can ingest, for example,primary data 120, secondary data 122, tertiary data 124, or the like,from any number or combination of data providers 110. In oneimplementation, the primary player data 140 can be acquired from a firstdata provider 112, for example, either by request from the automatedprojection engine 140 or as a result of a push operation from theprovider 112. As one example, the server 130 can transmit a query overthe network connection through an application programming interface tothe first data provider 112 for primary data 120. Similarly, the server130 can transmit queries over the network connection via the same orother application programming interfaces, to the second data provider114 for the secondary data 122, to the third data provider 116 for thetertiary data 124, or the like. The queries can include, for example, asimple request for the data, scraping information from websites, blogs,newsfeeds, or the like. The secondary data 122 and/or tertiary data 124providers can be computing systems connected through a network, forexample, official sports sponsor websites, databases, Internet sources,weather reporting and prediction services, or the like. The automatedprojection engine 140 can be executed on one or more computing systems,for example, a server 130, a desktop computer, laptop computer, a mobiledevice, a tablet device, or the like. Mobile devices can include, forexample, smartphones, personal data assistants, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, or the like. While many implementations herein are describedas interfaced with a mobile application 160 on a mobile device, any ofthe features described herein can be implemented on other types ofcomputing systems, for example those mentioned above, and should notlimited to only interfacing with mobile devices and mobile applications.

In some implementations, the data can be retrieved automatically,without receiving a specific request from a user. The automaticretrieval can be, for example, at particular times, hourly, daily,weekly, or the like. Automatic retrieval can be in response to an event,such as a completion of a competition, reporting of an injury, theupdating of a scoring website.

The collection of data can be stored on other connected computingsystems, for example in a relational database located at the server 130or on another networked computer. In some implementations, when thecollection of data is stored on a relational database, queries to accessthe data can be in the form of SQL queries. These queries can be similarto those sent to the first data provider 112, second data provider 114,and third data provider 116 in that they can request information for theautomated projection engine 140 to use when determining projected playervalues and lineups.

As used herein, the terms “primary data 120,” “secondary data 122,”“tertiary data 124,” “first data provider 112,” “second data provider114,” and “third data provider 116” are intended to only provide claritywhen distinguishing between different data sources or groups of data.For example, in some implementations, primary data 120 and secondarydata 122 could come from any one of the data providers. Similarly, anycombination of data used herein can come from any combination or numberof data providers.

Also as used herein, the term “scraping” can include, for example, textgrepping and expression matching, webpage retrieval, text parsers,document object model parsing, semantic annotation recognition, computervision analysis of internet content, or the like.

The primary data 120 can correspond to a player and include a set ofstatistics for the player. As used herein, the term “player” cancorrespond to a player of a sporting event or member of a sporting team.The statistics can be column-based or row-based tables, lists, or othertypes of files or electronic data that can be interpreted by theautomated projection engine 140.

The statistics can be any sort of data, or reference to data, thatdescribes results, statistics, historical performance, attributes, orthe like, of one or more players. For example, a baseball player canhave a historical average number of home runs per game, average numberof walks, an earned run average, average number of strikeouts per game,or the like. The statistics can include, for example, player performanceaverages, scoring histories, current (“real-time”) scores, playersalaries, statlines, or the like. Statlines can also include playerstatistics specific to a particular sport and can include, for example,home-runs, batting averages, or the like.

The primary data 120 can also include any data provided by the host orprovider 112 of a virtual competition. The primary data 120 can include,for example, a player value for at least one player, a maximum amountthat the total of the player values for a lineup cannot exceed, a playervalue representing the performance of the players, or the like. Theplayer value can represent the current value of the player and can be anamalgam of many factors that together determine the value of the playerin some virtual competition system. The player value can be, forexample, a point value, a salary, a “worth,” or the like.

In one implementation, a location of an upcoming event and locationstatistics can be retrieved from the first data provider 112. Thelocation statistics can correspond to the performance of the playerduring prior events at particular locations, such as stadiums, venues,courts, golf courses, or the like. The player performance at the priorlocations can be used in the calculation of the projected value of theplayer when prior player performance data is available for the samelocation.

The secondary data 122 can include data relevant to the players or toupcoming competitions, for example, predictions, locations of upcomingevents, box scores, Vegas odds, player injury histories, rosters,schedules, salaries, lineups, or the like. This secondary data 122 canbe received from or scraped from, for example, other computing systems,websites, or data feeds and used to modify a projected value of a playerin an upcoming event, as described further herein.

In some implementations, the secondary data provider can supply aprediction for how many points (or other performance metric) a player isexpected to earn. Such predictions can be used in any combination oraggregated to provide an additional factor or constraint to theautomated projection engine 140 when computing a projected value ordetermining an optimal lineup.

In another implementation, matchup statistics can be retrieved from thesecond data provider 114. The matchup statistics can correspond to theperformance of the player during prior matchups against a specifiedopponent or team. The player performance during the prior matchup can beused in the calculation of the projected value of the player when priormatchup performance data is available for the same opponent or team.

The tertiary data 124 can include, for example, data relating to theenvironment that the player is going to be playing in during an upcomingcompetition. Tertiary data 124 can include, for example, weather data,weather statistics, or the like. Weather data can correspond topredicted weather conditions at a particular location during a futureevent that includes the player. Weather statistics can correspond to theperformance of the player under prior weather conditions similar to thepredicted weather conditions. In one implementation, the future game canbe the next game that the player will play and the tertiary data 124 canbe specific only to the next game. Such a situation particularly appliesto weather data, which is difficult to forecast far into the future.

In general, implementations of the described subject matter canincorporate the most up-to-date primary data 120, secondary data 122,and tertiary data 124, for the players and their respective upcomingevents. These implementations can be distinct from, for example,seasonal lineup assemblies. Here, at least a portion of the primary data120, secondary data 122, and tertiary data 124 used for determination ofprojected values can correspond only to the upcoming event for theplayer, and not to additional events subsequent to the upcoming event.

In other implementations, the features described herein can be appliedacross weekly or seasonal timeframes. For example, when location data isavailable for a whole season, location factors can be applied whendetermining projected values for the players. Similarly, weather datacan be applied based on long-term forecasts or historical trends forweather at a given location.

Any of the collected data can be parsed, sorted, transformed, or thelike, to a more readable format. In one implementation, data received orscraped from a website can be HTML page code. The HTML page code can beparsed to extract the relevant data, statistics, or the like, and notinclude information such as page formatting code, tags, metadata, or thelike. The parsed data can then be sent to the automated projectionengine 140 in a format that can be ingested to generate projected valuesas described herein.

The automated projection engine 140, using the primary data 120,secondary data 122, tertiary data 124, or the like, can modify thevalues for the players to provide a more accurate projected value of theplayers. In one implementation, the player can be represented as aninternal object 142 with an associated projected value in an upcomingevent. The projected value can be determined by the automated projectionengine 140 taking into account the primary 120, secondary 122, andtertiary data 124.

A player can be represented by an internal object, stored at the server130, and modifiable based on additions or changes to any of the receiveddata. The internal object 142 can be, for example, an “object” in thesense of those used in object-oriented programming languages, a table,an array, a spreadsheet, a text file, or the like. The examples givenherein generally refer to the internal object 142 as being of the typeused in object-oriented languages. These internal objects 142 can haveattributes that can represent a particular statistic or feature of theplayer. For example, an internal object 142 can have a “home runs”attribute, an “times-at-bat” attribute, a “salary” attribute, a “basevalue” attribute, a “projected value” attribute, or the like. Theseattributes can be modified, queried, or the like. In someimplementations, an attribute can be static, such as handedness, gender,or the like. As such, the attributes can correspond to at least aportion of the set of statistics, the limiting factor, and the weatherconditions.

In some implementations, a “base value” attribute can be added to theinternal object 142 to represent a value of the player based onstatistics or other historical information. The base value can besupplied by a data provider, for example a system running a virtualsports competition. In other implementations, the base value can beassigned based on, for example, an average number of points earned pergame, an average or current ranking, or the like.

To modify the values of the players, there can be a mapping function 146which applies modifiers 144 to appropriate elements the playerattributes. The modifiers 144 can be based on at least a portion of theprimary data 120, secondary data 122, and tertiary data 124. Forexample, in some situations, a player's performance may have nocorrelation whatsoever with the weather conditions. One example of suchwould be players of indoor sports. As such, the weather data componentof the tertiary data 124 would not map to the statistics for the player.Another example can be the relationship between wind speed and golfperformance. A player's golf performance is expected to be better eitherunder no wind or under a favorable wind which carries the ball further.Because of this known relationship, there can be a mapping that allowsthe tertiary data 124 to be combined with the statistics to modify thevalue of the player. This is particularly advantageous in virtualcompetitions where, unlike real competitions, the players are often notcompeting under the same conditions. For example, two otherwise evenlymatched players, which may have identical values, can in fact have verydifferent projected values based on the conditions under which they areeach competing. The mapping function 146 can be used to determine whichelements of the secondary data 122 and tertiary data 124 are relevant tomodifying the player value.

In one implementation, a projected value can be generated from the basevalue by first applying a modifier 144 to another attribute, for examplea player stat, according to the prescribed mapping. As one example, anestimate of a number of home runs per game can be modified up or downbased on weather conditions. Then, a rule can be applied that convertsthe modified attribute to a projected value. The rule can be receivedfrom a data provider, for example, one that hosts a fantasy sportscontest. One example of a rule can be that a home run is worth a givennumber of points in their particular fantasy sports contest. This can bedone for any number of stats or attributes and the projected values(e.g. expected number of points) for one or more players in the lineupcan be summed or otherwise used as factors to determine the finalprojected value of the player.

For example, if the secondary data 122 suggests that a particular playerhas performed well in a given stadium, and if that stadium is the sameas the one that the player will next compete in, then a positivemodifier 144 can be determined and applied to the value of the player.In this way, rather than relying on a long-term average of performance,which may not be representative of a particular contest, specificfactors can be taken into account that are directly relevant to aspecific upcoming competition. By applying these modifiers 144 to thebase values, a projected value can be generated. One example of thecalculation of the modifiers 144 and the projected value is furtherdescribed in the discussion of FIG. 3.

In one implementation, the automated projection engine 140 can updatethe modifiers 144 (and the projected values) based on monitored changesto any of the primary data 120, secondary data 122, or tertiary data124. For example, the player statistics at the first data provider 112can be monitored. When a change to the statistics is detected, forexample when a player's batting average changes, the automatedprojection engine 140 can update the projected value of the player. Insome implementations, an indication of the monitored change can betransmitted to the mobile application 160. The indication can be, forexample, a graphical or audio alert, an email, a command to vibrate themobile device, or the like.

The automated projection engine 140 can query appropriate data sourcesfor updated historical statistics and/or venue data 160. The query canbe automatic or as a result of a command from a user. The command can bethrough a mobile application 160 interfaced with the server 130, orthrough another computing device. In another implementation, theautomated projection engine 140 can update the modifiers 144 based onaccumulated data, simulations, archived data of results using projectedvalues, or the like. Here, the automated projection engine 140 canaccess data from a large number of sources automatically to update themodifiers 144 122, something that is impossible for a human to perform.Libraries of past results and algorithms can be stored for reference bythe automated projection engine 140 and used instead of, or in additionto, the types of data present in the primary data 120, secondary data122, and tertiary data 124. The automated projection engine 140 can usemachine-learning techniques, neural networks, or the like, to implementa continuous and automatic improvement of the calculation of themodifiers 144 to provide more accurate projected values.

Based on the projected values of the players, the automated projectionengine 140 can generate a lineup including one or more playersrepresented by the internal objects 142. The lineup can be a set ofpointers to specific internal objects 142, an array of internal objects142, a list of unique identifiers for the internal objects 142, a tableor file containing data corresponding to the internal objects 142, orthe like. However, as previously discussed, for example, with a “daily”fantasy sport there is often a limit to the total limiting factors ofthe players that are allowed to make up a lineup. The automatedprojection engine 140 can determine the lineup that results in themaximum projected value of all the players in the lineup while remainingwithin the constraints of the a maximum factor, for example, a totaldollar amount for player salaries. As one example, there may be aparticular player who has a very high value. While desirable as aplayer, this particular player may also have a limiting factor so highthat the remainder of the amount of limiting factors that can be usedfor the lineup would force the remainder of the lineup to be very poor,resulting in an overall poor lineup. In some cases, the optimum lineupis provided by not choosing the best players, but rather by choosing abalanced lineup. In this way, the automated projection engine 140 cangenerate an optimized lineup that is a combination of players thatresult in the highest number of points possible with any combination ofplayers. This example of constrained lineup generation can be describedas, for example, a first constraint where a sum of the limiting factorsof the internal objects 142 making up the lineup does not exceed amaximum factor. There can also be a second constraint where the sum ofthe projected values of the lineup is maximized, subject to the firstconstraint.

By applying the modifiers 144 as discussed herein, not only is thelineup optimal in terms of value versus limiting factors, but it can benaturally optimized specifically for the upcoming competition.Accordingly, an optimal lineup in one competition may not be an optimallineup in another competition even if all of the players (both selectedby the user and their opposition) remain the same. For example, weather,venue, injuries, or the like, can change over a short span of time. Theprocess of providing an optimal lineup is described further with regardto FIG. 3.

In another implementation, the user can specify a preference for one ormore players to be included or excluded from the lineup. For example, auser can specify, for example through the mobile application 160, thatthey would like a particular player from a particular team to be in thelineup, or that as many players as possible from a favorite real teamare in the lineup. The preference can be implemented in the automatedprojection engine 140 as a preference weight. For example, thepreference weight can be a numerical range between 0 and 1, with 0indicating that the particular player will never be selected for theoptimal lineup and a 1 indicating that the particular player will alwaysbe selected for the optimal lineup. However, when the sum of thelimiting factors of the players in the lineup exceeds the maximumfactor, one or more of the players causing the violation can be excludedfrom the lineup. When generating the optimal lineup, if the preferencesexpressed by the user cause the optimal lineup to exceed the limitingamount, or violate any other rules, then a warning or other message canbe provided to the user. Other representations of the preference weightcan be established, for example, as a probability, weightings attachedto certain player characteristics or statistics, or the like.

Once generated, the lineup or list of internal objects can betransmitted to a computing device, for example, a website, smartphone,server 130, or the like. In one implementation, the lineup or list canbe provided to a mobile application 160 running on a computer or mobiledevice. The lineup or list can be in the form of a listing of playersrepresented by the internal objects 142. In other implementations, theautomated projection engine 140 and the computing system 130 can be onthe same or different computing devices, for example mobile devices,laptop computers, desktop computers, or the like. The user can view,modify, or approve the provided lineup. In another implementation, thelineup can be deliberately sent by the user, or automaticallytransmitted to the data provider, for implementation in the virtualcompetition staged by the data provider or host of a fantasy sportsgame. Equivalently, the data provider or mobile application 160 can senda request to the server 130 running the automated projection engine 140resulting in a pull operation to request a lineup on the user's behalf.For example, a user can utilize the automated prediction engine 110 togenerate a lineup that is automatically exported to the provider, forexample, DRAFTKINGS™, FANDUEL™, or any other fantasy sports website.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary process flow diagram illustrating the calculationof a projected value in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. To provide a somewhat more specific example of the processesdescribed herein, FIG. 2 presents a sequence of steps that can beexecuted by the automated projection engine 140 when modifying a valueof a player to generate a projected value of a player for an upcomingbaseball game

At 205, a historical performance, such as statistics of the player, canbe received from a data provider. For example, the historicalperformance can be part of primary data 120 received from the first dataprovider 112.

At 210, the player's statline can be extracted from the primary data120. Multiple statlines can be collected for a given player, for exampleover a specific number of prior games, for example the last 50, last 20,last 10, or the like. The statline for a single event can be referred toas an individual statline. The collection of statlines (allcorresponding to the same player) can be referred to as the aggregatestatline.

At 215-245, factors are applied to the statlines to modify them based onthe particulars of the upcoming event, for example, location, opponent,weather, or the like. The examples given below describe only a few ofthe factors that can be applied as modifiers 144 to a statline.

At 215, a play-time factor can be calculated and applied to theaggregate statline (i.e. to all individual statlines). The play-timefactor can be, for example, the number of plate appearances divided bythe expected number of plate appearances. Here, if a player had half asmany plate appearances as expected based on the team size, then theplay-time factor would be 0.5. Also, if the player is expected to playfor a different length of time during an upcoming contest compared totheir past play times, the play-time factor can be determined to reflectthe upcoming play time. For example, if the projected value for 40minutes of play time was desired, but the player typically plays for 15minutes, the play-time factor would be 40/15 or 2.66.

At 220, a location factor and a weather factor can be calculated andapplied. The location factor can modify certain stats of the playerbased on the particular location they are playing at. For example, astatline can have an average number of home runs at a given location,e.g. their home stadium. If the home stadium had a home run factor of0.938 (harder to get home runs) compared to the upcoming location whichhas a home run factor of 1.36 (easier to get home runs), then thelocation factor would be 1.36/0.938=1.45. A weather factor can be amodifier 144 that is applied to the aggregate statline factors. Theweather factor influence on a stat can be considered to be independentof where the game took place or any other factors.

At 225, an opponent factor can be calculated and applied. The opponentfactor can include, for example, a left/right split. When the player isfacing a starting lefty starting pitcher, then the collective individualstatlines can be weighted so that, for example, 80% of the aggregatestatline is representative of the player's performance against leftiesand the other 20% represents the player's performance against righties.This can be done by, for example, calculating two sets of multipliers.One multiplier applies to all lefty-based statlines and one to apply toall righty-based statlines. The 80%/20% weighting is only one option,for example, the weighting could be 70%/30%, 90/10%, or the like.

At 230, a trending factor can be calculated and applied. If more recentperformances are valued, a first (least recent) fraction of thestatlines can be reduced by a first factor and a second (most recent)fraction of the statlines can be increased by a second factor. Forexample, the least recent 5%, 10%, 25%, or the like of the statline canbe multiplied by, for example, 0.5, 0.75, 0.9, or the like. Similarlythe most recent 5%, 10%, 25%, or the like of the statline can bemultiplied by, for example, 1.5, 1.25, 1.1, or the like.

At 235, a customized, experimental, or miscellaneous factor can becalculated and applied. For example, if it was determined throughstatistical analysis that an individual statline or aggregate statlineshould be modified to provide a more accurate projected value, then afactor can be applied to adjust them.

At 240, an injury factor can be calculated and applied. For example, ifa players home run performance is known when playing with a sprain, thenwhen a data provider provides an indication that the player is injured,an injury factor can be applied to the aggregate statline to betterrepresent their predicted performance.

At 245, a human adjustment factor can be calculated and applied. Forexample, the human adjustment factor can be a user-defined factor toapply to the aggregate statline. In another implementation, the humanadjustment factor can be a direct stat replacement. Here, all otherfactors that modify the stat can be set to 1.0 and the number of gamescan be equivalently set to 1.0.

At 250, all of the factors can be applied as described above and used tocalculate a projected value based on the modified statlines.

In another implementation, player stats can be extracted from theprimary data 120 and categorized in terms of player vs. opponentcharacteristic. For example, for baseball, there can be three maincategories. A) pitcher vs. hitter history, B) hitter vs. pitcherhandedness, and C) pitcher vs. hitter's handedness.

Stats can be selected from each main category based on their ability toimpact the player's point total. This selection can be, for example, setin the automated projection engine 140 or received by a user of themobile application 160. In this example, pitcher categories can have(wOBA, ISO, HR/PA, and kRate) as relevant stats. Similarly, battercategories can have (Avg, wOBA, ISO, HR/PA) as relevant stats.

TABLE 1 Example point modifier 144 for outlier performance <1 Std. Dev.−1.5 points −1 to −0.5 Std. Dev −1.0 point −0.5 to 0.5 Std. Dev. 0points (no modifier 144) 0.5 to 1.0 Std. Dev. +1 point >1.0 Std. Dev.+1.5 points

As shown in the example of Table 1, the stats can be compared againstleague averages, for example received from the primary data 120 source,to determine where the player is relative to the other league players.Based on how many standard deviations the player is away in a particularstat, player value can be increased or decreased.

These additions to the projected value can be applied through the mobileapplication 160 or by the automated projection engine 140 instead of, orin addition to, the other methods for computing a projected valuedescribed herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation of the automatedprojection engine 140 in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. This provides a more specific example of the method ofcalculating the projected value based on calculating and applyingmodifiers 144 to player stats. In the example shown by FIG. 3, the valueof the player (represented by the internal object 142) is input into theautomated projection engine 140. In this example, the player is assigned4.3 points which can represent, for example, the number of points thatplayer is expected to obtain in a particular competition, the number ofpoints assigned by a data provider 110, game server, or the like. Theautomated projection engine 140 can then map, with the mapping function146, some of the primary data 120 for the player to the secondary data122 and tertiary data 124. Here, the primary data 120 includes, forexample, career stats 310 such as hits, doubles, triples, and home runs,per game. In this case, the tertiary data 124 includes only two items ofweather data 320, the temperature and the wind speed. Alternatively,other weather data 320 can be used such as precipitation type,barometric pressure, elevation, high or low pressure systems, humidity,or the like. The automated projection engine 140 can apply a weight 330for each of the weather statistics that can be unique to the player. Theweight 330 can be based on historical data, for example, calculateddeviations in player performance under similar conditions. In thisexample, for this player, the high temperature provides a small negativemodifier 144 to the expected number of hits per game. Also, thefavorable wind conditions provide a modest positive modifier 144 to theexpected number of home runs per game. Thus the condition can beexpressed as a favorable or unfavorable modifier 144 by setting of thesign of the weight 240 or other factor that goes into calculating themodifier 144.

The automated projection engine 140 can use these weights 330 as part ofan algorithm or function (ƒ) to determine a modifier 144 to the basevalue. In one implementation, the modifier 144 can be a function of (i)the weight 330, (ii) a maximum amount for the modifier 144, and (iii) athreshold value for the condition that governs the modifier 144. Thusthe modifier 144 can, in as one example, be represented as

Mod=1+weight*ƒ(condition, Max mod, threshold).  (1)

The condition can be, for example, wind speed, temperature, elevation,or the like. The weight 240 is described above and generally affects theability of the condition to impact the player statistic represented bythe historical data. The maximum modifier 144 sets a limit to which thehistorical data can be affected. For example, if the maximum modifier144 was set to 1, then the total modifier 144 could not exceed 1+1 or 2.Thus no matter what conditions were present, the total modifier 144could not go below 0 or above 2. The threshold value can describe thecondition that must be exceeded for a modifier 144 to be calculated.This threshold value can be based on a statistical analysis ofhistorical data to determine a cutoff point at which the statisticexhibits little or no change. Multiple factors can be applied to eachstatistic. In some implementations, for example, the home runs/game canbe modified by both wind and temperature.

In another example, such as in the sport of football, it may bedetermined that the wind did not affect a particular player passingperformance unless it was over 25 mph. In this case, the threshold valuefor the wind would be 25 mph. and no modifier 144 would be applied ifthe wind was below that speed, regardless of what weight 330 wasspecified. Conversely, there can be a maximum in which playerperformance was affected, such as 50 mph, such that regardless if thewind is higher than 50 mph (for example if it is 60 mph, 75 mph, orhigher), the effect on the player is the same and the modifier 144 isthus capped once the weather condition reaches that threshold.

Returning to the example of FIG. 2, it is determined, for example by thefunction of Eq. 1, that the hits per game should be modified by a factorof 0.7 whereas the home runs per game should be modified by a factor of1.5. The weighting 330 was taken into account when determining the finalmodifier 144 to the stat. The doubles and triples per game were notaffected by the game weather and hence their modifiers 144 remain 1.0.Once the modified stats for the player have been computed they can beapplied to rules 340 of the virtual competition as dictated by theprovider 112. In this example, the provider 112 has determined that ahit is worth 3 points and a home run is worth 10 points. Based on themodified attributes and the rules 340 from the provider 112, a projectedpoint value 260 is calculated to be 3.81. Comparing the projected pointvalue 350 of 3.81 to the original point value of 4.3, the automatedprojection engine 140 predicts that the player will perform worse thanexpected. Such a determination can result in a more accuratedetermination of the optimal lineup.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method ofgenerating an optimal lineup in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure. The generation of an optimal lineup is a constrainedoptimization problem that must conform to the limiting factor and otherdaily rules. On the left side of FIG. 4 is a process flow diagramillustrating actions taken by the automated projection engine 140 togenerate the lineup. On the right side of FIG. 4 are examples of playertypes and rankings to illustrate the described process.

At 410, player lists can be generated that describe, for each positionor player type, a list of eligible players for a lineup. The players canbe selected from any collection of players, for example, those withprojected point values as described in FIG. 3, imported from anothercomputing system or player database, or the like. The list can include,for example, a pitcher, shortstop, 1^(st) baseman, 2^(nd) baseman, orthe like. Each type of player can include several players, rankedaccording to their projected point value. Pitchers, for example, can beranked P1, P2, P3, in descending order of projected point value.Shortstops can be ranked S1, S2, S3, etc. Other player types cansimilarly be ranked into player lists.

At 420, a number of iterations can be determined based on the size ofthe player lists. In one implementation, the number of iterations can beinversely proportional to the size of the player list in order tomaintain a relatively constant computational time.

At 430, the player list can be randomized according to player type. Twoexamples are shown corresponding to two iterations of the describedprocess.

At 440, in order of the current player list, for each player type, thehighest ranked player available is selected, subject to the constraintsof the limiting amount, or other rules. In the example given, for thefirst iteration, the best shortstop (S1) is chosen.

At 450, because all positions in the lineup have not been filled, theprocess continues with 440 for the next position. Here, the best pitcher(P1) is chosen. The process continues with choosing of the 2^(nd)baseman. However, in this example, we assume that the best 2^(nd)baseman cannot be chosen because it violates some constraint, so the2^(nd) best 2^(nd) baseman (2B2) is chosen. Similarly, the best 1^(st)baseman available is 1B3. Thus the lineup for the first iteration is S1,P1, 2B2, and 1B3.

At 460, the lineup can be recorded and a total projected point value forthe lineup determined. The process can then restart at 430 to generate alineup for each iteration, with each lineup compared to the best priorlineup to determine a final optimal lineup. In the example given in FIG.4, the second iteration results in a lineup of 2B1, 1B2, P2, and S3. Inthis example, it is determined that the first lineup is better than thesecond, so the first lineup remains the optimal lineup.

FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating matchups between competingplayers in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Agraphical display, for example on a mobile device or other computer, canshow a detailed comparison between competitors to aid a user inselecting players to be part of the desired lineup. The example shown inFIG. 5 applies to baseball. There can also be tables 510 describing thematchup between two competing players or teams, here for example thebatter and pitcher. For each matchup, several tables of data can bedisplayed according to categories, for example, a location factor “Park”520, “Average FP” (Average Fantasy Points of the batter) 520, “Battervs. Pitcher” 530, “Batter vs. Pitchers R/L Split” 540, and “Pitcher vs.Batters R/L Split” 550, or the like. The example table shownincorporates many of the features discussed with reference to FIG. 2 andTable 1. In particular, the table entries can be color-coded orotherwise visually rendered to reflect the statistical deviation of thedisplayed stat when compared to league averages. In FIG. 5, they areshown as different cross-hatchings to indicate whether a stat isfavorable or unfavorable, and by how much. For example, the averagevalue for the matchup between M. Trout and C. Martin indicates (by thehorizontal hatching) that the M. Trout's weekly averaged value is 1standard deviation greater than the league averaged over the same week.Similarly, M. Mahtook's weekly averaged value (by the angled hatching)is 1 standard deviation less than the league average over the same week.

FIG. 6 is a screen capture illustrating providing the recent history ofplayer information to a graphical user interface on a mobile device inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 ascreen capture illustrating providing the athlete's history vs a teamplaying on the current day to a graphical user interface on a mobiledevice in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. InFIG. 6, the screen capture shows, for example, the player's limitingfactor 610, in this case expressed as a salary, at each game. It alsoshows the players actual (live) points 620 vs. the projected point value350. The projected point value 350 can be generated to fall withinvertical bands 630 which can represent a floor for the projected pointvalue 350 and a ceiling for the projected point value 350. The actualpoints, for example, in terms of fantasy points, can be collected over agiven historical window. The actual points have an average and astandard deviation. The length of the vertical band can correspond tothe difference between the floor (−1 standard deviation) and a ceiling(+1 standard deviation) of the player's expected points based only onthe historical performance. The projected point value 350 and the actualpoints can be shown for comparison, where available.

Additional information can also be displayed on the graphical userinterface, for example, icons 640 or other graphical representations ofparticular aspects of the player, the upcoming event, or the like. Theseaspects can include, indicating that the player is in a starting lineup,making it very likely that they will in fact be played, that the playeris favored or disfavored against their current opponent or team, thatthe weather conditions are particularly favorable or unfavorable for theplayer, whether or not the player is on a hot or cold streak, indicatinga likely trend to continue, whether they were in the best possiblecombination of players the day before, if they had an overtime period,if they left with an injury, or the like.

In another implementation, the user can alter or override the projectedpoints (shown by the −1/+1 buttons) 650. Once altered, the alteredprojected points can be used to generate another optimal lineupaccording to any of the methods described herein.

In another implementation, the user can select, via the graphical userinterface, to receive notifications of recent changes to, for example,the primary data 120, secondary data 122, tertiary data 124, or thelike. One example of a notification can be if a player hit a home run ina game, and if the player was on a list of players the user had selectedto receive notifications about, then the user would receive anotification indicating the event. Such a notification can be, forexample, displayed in the graphical user interface, or as a message,text, image, email, or the like sent to another computing device.

The location where each event occurred can be shown and can becolor-coded to characterize a difficulty in the matchup. For example,the difficulty can be represented by a statistical deviation in theperformance of that player vs. that team alone, as compared to theleague. In one implementation, the graphical display (FIG. 6) cantransition to a graphical display (FIG. 7.) showing an athlete's historyvs a team playing on the current day. There can be additional screensthat can display, for example, a selection of stats averaged over aspecified time range, a crawler or newsfeed of news stories relating tothe player as received from any of the data providers, or the like.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating displaying live scoring on a graphicaluser interface of a mobile device in accordance with certain aspects ofthe present disclosure. Live scoring can display the up-to-date scoringprogress of the player during an event or a specified scoring period.The up-to-date score can be compared to the projection to see how closethe player is to their projection, at that point in time.

In one implementation, the server 130 can receive, from at least onedata provider, an electronic indication that a change has been made tothe data received from the data provider. This can include changes toany or all of the primary data 120, secondary data 122, or tertiary data124. The electronic indication can be, for example, a notification for apush or pull operation to result in the transmission of an updatedstatus of a player to the server 130, an electronic alert that an updatein the primary data 120 has occurred, detection of a change to a postedstat or a description of an contest or player being monitored on awebsite, or the like.

The change can be representative of an instant event 830 that occurredin a game in which the player is currently participating. For example,in baseball, the instant event 830 can be hits, home runs, walks,strike-outs, injuries, lineup changes, weather changes, or the like. Thechange can be reflected in stored tables, displayed graphical or textualinformation on websites, or other data storage that includes a currentstatus of the player or the game in which the player is participating.

In some implementations, the data provider 110 can be monitored, by theserver 130, the mobile device, or other computing system, for thechange. In one implementation, when a change is detected, a request canbe transmitted to the data provider 110 for information about thechange. The request can be for the name of the player, other statisticsabout the player, the event that just occurred, the time at which theevent took place, or the like. In other implementations, the change inthe primary data 120 can be communicated from the data provider 110 tothe server 130 or to the mobile application 160 without waiting for arequest for update. In yet another implementation, the change can bedetermined by monitoring the data provider 110, for example, by thescraping of publicly posted or otherwise available data providerinformation.

Events can be automatically identified and tagged by the server 130 asbeing a particular type of event. The server 130 can monitor for updatesposted to a public website or received from a data provider 110. Theupdate can include information in a textual format or in the form ofmetadata that can be interpreted by the server 130 to identify theevent. As one example, on a football tournament website an update couldbe posted as “Joe Smith scored a touchdown at 2:59 PM.” The server,monitoring the website, can scrape that text string and parse it toextract the player, the type of event (e.g. a touchdown), and the timeof the event. The parsing can include, for example, string-splitting,machine-reading, image-recognition of scraped icons/images, lookup ofstandard abbreviations, characters, or symbols associated with events,players, or the like. As another example, if the update included “JoeSmith threw a 45 yard pass to Bob Jones at 10:30 AM,” both players canbe extracted from the event and associated with the same event.

Such an association can be combined with the rules that determine thevalue of a player, lineup, or the like, being monitored by the server130. In the example above, the rules can determine that Joe Smiththrowing a completed pass is worth, for example, 5 points. Similarly,the rules can also determine hat Bob Jones receiving the pass is worth,for example, 3 points. In some implementations, multiple rule sets canbe applied to the same event and ultimately presented to a user. If dataprovider A had a rule that the pass was worth 5 points and data providerB had a rule that the pass was worth 8 points, both changes can bedisplayed for the single event. Other types of rules can be applied asdetermined by a user or a data provider. For example, even if an eventwas not a scoring event it can be tagged as a particular type, such as a“BIG PLAY,” or other type of event when a pre-determined play metric isdetermined to be satisfied from parsing the received update.

The tagging can allow implementation of filtered events to be displayedat the mobile device, or other computing system, when showing livescoring. The mobile application 160 on the mobile device can beconfigured automatically, or by user input, to specifically display thechange associated with tagged types of events in the user-interface ofthe mobile device. For example, when the mobile application isconfigured to display events specific to a lineup, it would only displaythe events for those players in the lineup. If Joe Smith was in thespecified lineup but Bob Jones was not, then only the update to thepoints for Joe Smith would be displayed.

The change can be reflected in a graphical display at the mobile devicerunning the mobile application 160. In some implementations, the rulesthat govern a particular game provider can be applied to include thechange in the primary data 120 for calculating a current score for theplayer. The current score can then be transmitted to the mobileapplication 160 for display at the mobile device. In someimplementations, a user can determine which data provider to use forapplying a particular set of rules. The current score under a particulardata providers rule set can then be determined and displayed at themobile device.

In the example graphical user interface shown in FIG. 8, there can be adisplay of an imminent event 810 in the game, for example, a next tobat, a player with the ball, or the like. A total score 820 of one ormore players, or a whole lineup, can be displayed. A listing of instantevents 830 can be displayed, along with relevant information about theinstant event 830 and the change 840 in the total score 820 based on theinstant event 830. For example, in FIG. 8, the graphical user interfacecan display that A. Rodriguez just hit a home run. This example instantevent 830 resulted in a change 840 in the total score of +5 FP (fantasypoints). Again, the total score 820 can be based on the rules thatgovern the fantasy game taking place. Different data providers 110 orhosts of the fantasy event can have different rules that apply to thesame event. For example, one host may set that a home run is worth 5points in their game whereas another may set that a home run is worth 10points. Additionally, other information can be displayed, for example,the time 850 at which the instant event took place, an indication of thelineup, team, or type of sport (shown in FIG. 8 by the diamond 860representing a baseball diamond), or the like. In some implementations,the changes 840 to the total score 820 can be updated in real-time, ornearly so, and displayed at the mobile device in the form of a scrollinglist, a marquee crawler, an updating field, or the like.

As used herein, “real-time” can refer to the retrieval or updating ofinformation or data in the herein described computing systems as fast ascan be processed and received by the connected computing systems.“Real-time” contemplates that there can be, for example, networklatency, computational time delays, buffering, or the like, in updatingor displaying of information. In other implementations of the currentsubject matter, data can be retrieved or displayed at preset intervals,tied to events with the player, game, or weather, on demand from a useror settings at a central computer, or the like.

FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating an automated projectionengine 140 generating a collection of internal objects 142 representinga player lineup to a mobile application 160 in accordance with certainaspects of the present disclosure.

At 900, over a network connection by a server 130, a collection of datafrom a data provider 110 can be assembled. The assembling can includefirst querying, by the server 130 over the network connection through anapplication programming interface, the data provider 110 for primarydata 120 corresponding to a player. The primary data 120 can include atleast one of a set of statistics for the player, a limiting factor forthe player, and a location of an upcoming event that includes theplayer. Also, the assembling can include second querying, by the server130 over the network connection, the data provider 110 for secondarydata 122 corresponding to the player. The secondary data 122 can includeat least one of a prediction and the location. Also, the assembling caninclude third querying, by the server 130 over the network connectionthrough another application programming interface, the data provider 110for tertiary data 124. The tertiary data 124 can include a weathercondition at the location.

At 910, a base value of the player based on at least the primary data120 can be added as an attribute to an internal object stored at theserver 130.

At 920, a modifier 144 can be mapped to a second attribute of theinternal object. The modifier 144 can be based on at least a portion ofthe secondary data 122 and the tertiary data 124.

At 930, a projected value can be generated from the base value by atleast first applying the modifier 144 to the second attribute accordingto the mapping and second applying a rule converting the modified secondattribute to a projected value.

At 940, the automated projection engine 140 can generate internalobjects 142 according to constraints including a first constraint havinga sum of the limiting factors of the plurality of internal objects 142that does not exceed a maximum factor and a second constraint where asum of the projected values of the internal objects 142 is a maximum,subject to the first constraint.

At 950, the server 130 can transmit, over the network connection to amobile application 160 running on a mobile device, application dataincluding a list representing the internal objects 142.

One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described hereincan be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware,software, and/or combinations thereof. These various aspects or featurescan include implementation in one or more computer programs that areexecutable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including atleast one programmable processor, which can be special or generalpurpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmitdata and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device,and at least one output device. The programmable system or computingsystem may include clients and servers. A client and server aregenerally remote from each other and typically interact through acommunication network. The relationship of client and server arises byvirtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

These computer programs, which can also be referred to programs,software, software applications, applications, components, or code,include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can beimplemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-orientedprogramming language, a functional programming language, a logicalprogramming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As usedherein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computerprogram product, apparatus and/or device, such as for example magneticdiscs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs),used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmableprocessor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machineinstructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readablesignal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/ordata to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium can storesuch machine instructions non-transitorily, such as for example as woulda non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or anyequivalent storage medium. The machine-readable medium can alternativelyor additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner,such as for example as would a processor cache or other random accessmemory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects or featuresof the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, such as for example a cathode ray tube (CRT) ora liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitorfor displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice, such as for example a mouse or a trackball, by which the usermay provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used toprovide for interaction with a user as well. For example, feedbackprovided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as forexample visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; andinput from the user may be received in any form, including, but notlimited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible inputdevices include, but are not limited to, touch screens or othertouch-sensitive devices such as single or multi-point resistive orcapacitive trackpads, voice recognition hardware and software, opticalscanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and associatedinterpretation software, or the like.

In the descriptions above and in the claims, phrases such as “at leastone of” or “one or more of” may occur followed by a conjunctive list ofelements or features. The term “and/or” may also occur in a list of twoor more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitlycontradicted by the context in which it used, such a phrase is intendedto mean any of the listed elements or features individually or any ofthe recited elements or features in combination with any of the otherrecited elements or features. For example, the phrases “at least one ofA and B;” “one or more of A and B;” and “A and/or B” are each intendedto mean “A alone, B alone, or A and B together.” A similarinterpretation is also intended for lists including three or more items.For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C;” “one or more ofA, B, and C;” and “A, B, and/or C” are each intended to mean “A alone, Balone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, orA and B and C together.” Use of the term “based on,” above and in theclaims is intended to mean, “based at least in part on,” such that anunrecited feature or element is also permissible.

Because of the high-level nature and complexity of the selections andmethods described herein, including the multiple and varied combinationsof different calculations, computations and selections, such selectionsand methods cannot be done in real time quickly or at all by a human.The processes described herein rely on the machines described herein.

The subject matter described herein can be embodied in systems,apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desiredconfiguration. The implementations set forth in the foregoingdescription do not represent all implementations consistent with thesubject matter described herein. Instead, they are merely some examplesconsistent with aspects related to the described subject matter.Although a few variations have been described in detail above, othermodifications or additions are possible. In particular, further featuresand/or variations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein.For example, the implementations described above can be directed tovarious combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed featuresand/or combinations and subcombinations of several further featuresdisclosed above. In addition, the logic flows depicted in theaccompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily requirethe particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. Other implementations may be within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A method for implementation by at least one programmable processor,the method comprising: generating, by an automated projection engine, aplurality of internal objects corresponding to a plurality of players,each of the plurality of internal objects being associated with aprojected value, the generating performed according to constraintscomprising: a first constraint comprising a sum of limiting factors ofthe plurality of internal objects that does not exceed a maximum factor;and a second constraint comprising a sum of the projected values of theplurality of internal objects that is a maximum, subject to the firstconstraint, the generating further comprising: maintaining anapproximately constant computational time when executing a number ofiterations randomizing column positions of a column-based listcomprising a number of rows having entries of decreasing projectedvalues of the plurality of internal objects, the maintaining of theapproximately constant computational time based on limiting the numberof iterations to be inversely proportional to the number of rows, thegeneration of the plurality of internal objects further comprisingsequentially selecting a single entry from each row to be added to theplurality of internal objects, subject to the first constraint; andtransmitting, by the server over the network connection to a mobileapplication running on a mobile device, application data comprising alist representing the plurality of internal objects.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the server from a mobileapplication running on a mobile device, a request for the applicationdata; and transmitting the application data to the mobile device inresponse to the request.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the projectedvalue is calculated based on weather statistics corresponding to aweather performance of a player under prior weather conditions. 4-9.(canceled)
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving,from the mobile application, a preference weight representing a desireof a player to be represented in the plurality of internal objects,wherein the generated plurality of internal objects is further based onthe preference weight.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein: a minimumpreference weight precludes a player from being represented as part ofthe plurality of internal objects, and a maximum preference weightguarantees the player will be represented as part of the plurality ofinternal objects unless the sum of the limiting factors of the pluralityof internal objects exceeds the maximum factor.
 12. The method of claim1, wherein the primary data, secondary data, and tertiary data areaccessed through relational database queries from a database server. 13.A computer program product comprising a non-transient, machine-readablemedium storing instructions which, when executed by at least oneprogrammable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor toperform operations comprising: querying, by a server over a networkconnection through an application programming interface, at least onedata provider for primary data, secondary data, and tertiary dataassociated with an individual; adding an attribute to an internal objectstored in a database operably coupled to the server, the attribute beinga base value associated with the individual, the base value beingcomputed based on at least the primary data; mapping a modifier to thebase value, the modifier being computed based on at least a portion ofthe secondary data and the tertiary data; applying the modifier to thebase value according to the mapping; applying a rule to the modifiedbase value to generate a projected value; generating, by an automatedprojection engine operably coupled to the server, a plurality ofinternal objects according to constraints associated with the projectedvalue; and transmitting, by the server over the network connection to amobile application running on a mobile device, application datacomprising a list representing the plurality of internal objects. 14.The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising: receiving,at the server from the at least one data provider, an electronicindication that a change has been made to the primary data, the changerepresentative of an instant event that occurred in a game in which theindividual is currently participating; applying the rule to include thechange in the primary data for calculating a current score for theindividual; and transmitting the current score to the mobile applicationfor display at the mobile device.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 13, wherein the secondary data and the tertiary data correspondonly to an upcoming event that includes the individual.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 13, further comprising: receiving, from themobile application, a preference weight representing a desire for theindividual to be represented in the plurality of internal objects,wherein the generated plurality of internal objects is further based onthe preference weight. 17-20. (canceled)
 21. The computer programproduct of claim 13, wherein: the primary data comprises at least one ofa set of statistics for the individual, a limiting factor for theindividual, and a location of an upcoming event that includes theindividual; the secondary data comprises at least one of a predictionand the location; and the tertiary data comprises a weather condition atthe location.
 22. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein theconstraints comprise: a first constraint comprising a sum of limitingfactors of the plurality of internal objects that does not exceed amaximum factor; and a second constraint comprising a sum of theprojected values of the plurality of internal objects that is a maximum,subject to the first constraint.
 23. The computer program product ofclaim 13, wherein the generating of the plurality of internal objectscomprises: maintaining an approximately constant computational time whenexecuting a number of iterations randomizing column positions of acolumn-based list comprising a number of rows having entries ofdecreasing projected values of the plurality of internal objects, themaintaining of the approximately constant computational time being basedon limiting the number of iterations to be inversely proportional to thenumber of rows; and sequentially selecting a single entry from each rowto be added to the plurality of internal objects.
 24. The computerprogram product of claim 13, further comprising: displaying, at agraphical user interface of the mobile device, a vertical band having alength based on a standard deviation of an actual point valuecorresponding to one of the plurality of internal objects, the standarddeviation calculated from the primary data over a historical window; afirst graphical element at a first location collinear with the verticalband and based on the projected value of the corresponding one of theplurality of internal objects; and a second graphical element at asecond location collinear with the vertical band and based on the actualpoint value corresponding to an event that the one of the plurality ofinternal objects is associated with.
 25. A system comprising: a firstserver configured to store primary data, secondary data, and tertiarydata associated with an individual; a database configured to store aninternal object; a second server communicatively coupled to the firstserver via a communication network, the second server operably coupledto the database, the second server configured to: query the first serverfor the primary data, the secondary data and the tertiary data, computea value of an attribute to the internal object based on the primarydata, compute a modifier based on at least a portion of the secondarydata and the tertiary data, map the modifier to the value, apply a ruleto the modified value to generate a projected value, compute constraintsassociated with the projected value, and generate a plurality ofinternal objects according to the constraints; and a softwareapplication implemented on a mobile device, the mobile applicationcommunicatively coupled with the second server, the mobile applicationconfigured to receive data characterizing the plurality of internalobjects.
 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the mobile device comprisesa graphical user interface configured to display the data characterizingthe plurality of internal objects.
 27. The system of claim 25, whereinthe mobile device comprises a graphical user interface configured todisplay: a vertical band having a length based on a standard deviationof an actual point value corresponding to one of the plurality ofinternal objects, the standard deviation calculated from the primarydata over a historical window; a first graphical element at a firstlocation collinear with the vertical band and based on the projectedvalue of the corresponding one of the plurality of internal objects; anda second graphical element at a second location collinear with thevertical band and based on the actual point value corresponding to anevent that the one of the plurality of internal objects is associatedwith.
 28. The system of claim 25, wherein: the internal objectcorresponds to the individual, the individual being one amongst aplurality of individuals; and the plurality of internal objectscorresponding to the plurality of individuals.